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The cold weather is here. The snow, not quite yet. One of the benefits of winter is no bugs crawling around, right? But what about mice?
Mice, like us, don't like the snow and cold. They're going to try and get in to where it's warm. If you have any gaps in and around your house and garage, the mice will take advantage.
"Front, poured concrete stairs almost always have a gap on both sides. It's a great entry point. Chimneys. Again, it's a piece of masonry that's up against the house and they build the house around it. So there's almost always a gap around those areas. Garage doors are another hot spot. Under your deck. A lot of times you'll put in a deck after the home has been constructed. They remove portions of the house to put the deck up against it and they create avenues for the mice to get in," said Chris Quinn, pest control expert.
So you've got to plug the holes. First you need to figure out which hole the mice are using to get in and that's where a little professional help may be necessary.
"As we go around and inspect the home and look for areas that are conducive to rodent invasion, we will point out areas to the homeowner."
Some are easily sealable with just some hardware cloth or chicken wire and some silicone.
While that approach is appropriate for smaller holes and gaps, Quinn said larger areas will require something a little more aggressive and permanent. His company manufactures a metal barrier system to keep the mice out for good.
"Other places we will use the 'Cat Guard' system that we have, the 'Cat Guard' rodent exclusion system. We use high performance metal, bend it and form it and install it around the perimeter of the home."
Quinn reminds us, mice only need a hole the size of a dime to get in, rats will get in through a quarter sized hole. So go around your house and conduct a little self-inspection and keep an eye out for problem areas.